Identity theft conclusion and irony defined

So with help from a friend who knows how to get information out of the Federal court system better than I do, I finally have a conclusion to my identity theft case. Both defendants have been sentenced to several months in prison followed by several years of supervised release (i.e. probation). They also have to pay back the people they stole the money from using my identity. I can now send the court case number, etc. to the credit bureaus so they can add the information to my record and finish clearing the errant information still present in my credit reports (yup, over a year later I'm still trying to get the last of the identity theft related false information removed). The remaining open ended and frustrating bit to this saga is that I don't know how they obtained my information. It wasn't in any of the court records. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I will probably never know, but it will most likely still bother me for quite some time.

I learned all of this today. All because I have awesome friends that were able to help me. I still haven't actually received a return phone call from any of the voice mails I left with various Court offices. But I have a conclusion to the legal bits anyway, and I'm feeling much less frustrated.

The irony bit? In the mail today was a form letter from the U.S. Postal Service with information on how to protect myself from identity theft. Information I already have because I looked it up when this whole mess started over a year ago. Thanks, USPS, I appreciate the attempt to be helpful and provide useful information (and it is useful information), but you're a bit late for me. Hopefully it will help others instead and they won't end up having to go through what I did.

Identity theft frustrations

So there's actually two women involved in my identity theft. They worked as a team to take out almost $50,000 worth of loans in my name. One of them used a fake driver's license. Well, as I reported back in August, they caught them and they plead guilty. At the time I only knew of the first person; I learned about the second a little over a month later. I received two letters, one for each defendant, telling me that there would be sentencing hearings for each of them and I could submit paperwork for my losses. After consulting with several family friends that are lawyers to make sure I was understanding the legal language, it was determined that unless I wanted to submit receipts for the vacation time, the phone time, etc., there wasn't any way I could legally petition for compensation as I was cleared of all financial liability (I'm not complaining, that was the best thing for my financial and credit health).

But I could submit a letter to the court detailing my experience to give myself, the victim in all of this, some sort of voice in the process. Which I did. It was the hardest letter I've ever written in my life as it required me to re-live the horror of the past year (while writing it I ran the gamut of emotional response all over again, only in a condensed or concentrated format). But that letter to the court is my only option to share my experience and have a role in the process.

I'm not going to lie to you, I find the fact that I have no concrete role, no voice, in the proceedings exceedingly frustrating. I'm the VICTIM. They stole MY identity. Not anyone else's. MINE. I'm the one that has spent what is now over a year of my life trying to repair my identity. Yet there's absolutely nothing I can do to be compensated for the time, tears, frustration, stress, anxiety, etc. over the past year unless I want to engage in a civil proceedings where I sue them both. Given that they stole my identity to get money, somehow I don't think that they have any money so it would be pointless.

What's equally as frustrating is the amount of work I have to do to find out what's going on. Yes, I received the letters about the cases, which was refreshing and the first time in all of this that I didn't have to seek out information. Mind you, to add insult to injury, on the first letter my last name was spelled wrong yet again. Good lord, the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT had my name wrong in the case about my stolen identity, which was made possible by a common mis-spelling of my last name. Are you kidding me?!? Am I surprised? NO. Am I frustrated? Yup. Will it the mis-spelling continue to happen for the rest of my life? Yes. It's something I've dealt with since my birth certificate was wrong the first time (my parents made the hospital re-issue it). I've accepted it. But it's kind of a slap in the face that my name was wrong in the federal court documents detailing the theft of my identity. The court officer did say she'd correct it in all the court documents, and it was spelled correctly on the second letter, so I'm assuming that detail has been fixed.

Anyway, back to the frustrating lack of information. The sentencing hearings have been continued. Mind you, no one notified me, I'm the one making all of the follow up calls. And getting a hold of someone that can tell me the status is not always easy. I leave lots of messages. I make repeated calls trying to talk to a person. It's now several months after the last date I was given for the sentencing hearing, and I'm back on the phone trying to learn what happened, what the sentencing was, if how they did it was revealed, or if it was continued again.

There has got to be a better way for the victims to get information. There has got to be a way for us to have a voice in all of this. Because instead of relief that the people have been caught, right now all I'm feeling is frustration.

Recycled TV

I'm not sure what it says when they start recycling TV shows from my childhood. The entertainment industry would like us to think they are "re-envisioning" them. But they're not. They're recycling them, complete with the same names (show and sometimes characters), premise, plot, etc.

I didn't get to watch much TV as a child. Until about the mid-1980s, the only things I was allowed to watch were PBS shows like 3-2-1 Contact and Sesame Street, the Muppet Show, sports (go Detroit!), and sci-fi (Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, etc.). As a very young child I'd secretly stay up and lay at the top of the stairs so I could peer downstairs into the TV room and watch Masterpiece Theater when my parents did (yes, I'm a dork). That's it. Even once my options opened up, I didn't watch much TV as I had plenty of after school activities going on. Ultimately what this means is that you do NOT want me on your team for games involving pop culture knowledge from the '70s, '80s and most of the '90s as I have practically none.

But even I know the shows they're recycling. It started with Battlestar Galactica. I was worried. I loved loved loved this show as a child. The robotic dog. The bizarre basketball/rugby-like game pyramid. The viper fights with the Cylons. It rocked. So when I learned the SciFi channel was going to recycle it, I was worried. Really worried. Especially when I found out in the "new" Battlestar Galactica version Starbuck was going to be a girl! But I gave it a chance, and after watching the mini-series I was hooked. I give the SciFi channel props for doing it right. They respected the original, and then took it to a new level. They truly did re-envision it, adding new layers such as Cylons being creepy and evil human looking robots (truly indistinguishable from humans) rather than only silver and black evil centurion robots. Sadly, this upcoming season will be the last.

Then the network channels started getting into the recycling bit. There was Bionic Woman, which was an epic failure. Now there's Knight Rider. Yes, I stayed up and watched the 2 hour "movie" (why? I still haven't figured out why I did...curiosity maybe? and yes, I know I need help...moving on). And of course, the Hoff made a guest appearance at the end (you knew it would happen). The show has the exact same premise as the first one, but they've tried to tie it to the old version so it appears to be a continuation of the old rather than just a recycling of it. Nice attempt but not so much success with that, sorry. I haven't decided if they've succeeded yet with the show in general as it definitely has the potential to be an epic failure like Bionic Woman. But the car, KITT, is just as awesome as it was in the original. The car and it's biting sarcasm was the only redeeming quality of the original series (you know it's true...the car always had the best lines!). So props for nailing the car coolness factor. I reserve judgment on everything else. [Apparently the ratings were high enough to actually make the series...I'm a bit ashamed I contributed to that by watching it.]

We're seeing this recycling in full-length movies as well. War of the Worlds. Transformers. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. G.I. Joe. Even Smurfs! (Oh God why the Smurfs?!? Not a good idea, just not.) Has the entertainment industry run out of original ideas? Or is this nostalgia?

Anyone want to guess what show they will recycle next?

Suicidal Cadbury creme eggs

These are so very wrong. Yet so very funny.



I think my favorite is the trash can lid. And the hair dryer one is disturbing (almost sexual...which is just beyond wrong).

I'm not so sure I want Cadbury creme eggs in my Easter basket anymore this year...

Via Serious Eats blog.

Lunar eclipse tonight!

Tonight a lunar eclipse will be visible in North America. A total lunar eclipse. At the mid-point, the moon should turn an incredible shade of reddish-orange. The mid-point should be around 10:30pm (Eastern Standard Time) and provided it's clear tonight, I should have an incredible view. I'm so excited!

The next total eclipse visible in North America? Not until December 2010. So bundle up and head outside tonight to enjoy the free show by the universe.

More info via NASA.

Original choral music, followed by pizza and beer

Friday night I went to a choral concert. My friends AH and her husband DS sing in a local choral group, the Choral Arts Society. I had yet to make one of their concerts, so I was determined to make it to this one.

This particular concert showcased the works of local composers by partnering with the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Composers Forum. They performed the works of 6 artists, the first five of which were shorter. The pieces ran the gamut from poetry and prayers arranged with original music to new arrangements of existing works and hymns.

One of my favorites was the arrangement of a Jewish prayer for a funeral, the Kaddish, by David Ludwig. It was beautifully done, so serene yet full of emotion. The Mourners' Kaddish itself, while spoken during funerals and during the period of mourning, does not actually mention death at all, but rather focuses on life and spirit and exalting God. I think David Ludwig did an amazing job of presenting this so it came through clearly in the music.

I particularly liked the fact that all the composers were there. They each spoke briefly before their piece was performed, giving us a little bit of information about what inspired them and what they aimed to create. It's not something you normally get to hear, and it adds so much more to the performances to hear a bit of the background behind the pieces. The performance was also recorded, so the composers would have a copy of their work being performed for promotion and personal record.

The last piece was one that had been commissioned by the Choral Arts Society artistic director, Matthew Glandorf. He asked Anthony Mosakowski to do a rendition of the Passion according to St. John. Fortunately, this was not the 2 hour version of the Passion. The four soloists were incredible. And Anthony added to the usual limited role of the larger chorus. Typically their role consists of playing the part of the crowd or the people. But in the scripture itself, it references other scriptures and prophesies. So Anthony had the chorus singing and chanting those referenced parts in the background while the soloists sang the St. John scripture. It was interesting to hear the Passion with another layer added to it.

Overall, it was a beautiful concert. As someone that's not normally a big choral music fan, I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed myself. The chorus is awesome, and I'm actually looking forward to future performances and hearing more choral music.

Afterwards, we went to grab a bite to eat and a drink at Dock Street Brewing Co. Their specialties? Beer (duh!) and pizza. Really really good pizza and small locally brewed batches for their draft beers. They have this great information board that lists all the available beers and a brief description of each one, which simplifies the selection process. I had their Baltic Porter, a porter brewed with maple syrup, which was very nice, dark, smooth, and had just a hint of sweetness. It complemented the pizza beautifully.

There were 7 of us, so we decided to split 2 large pizzas, which allowed for 2 slices each plus an extra for whomever was really hungry. These are not small slices, so two was plenty for me. We chose one with meat and one vegetarian pizza, which was not easy as there are many tasty options. We all agreed that there hard part of the decision was not agreeing on the choices, but having to limit ourselves to only two! The meat pizza we chose was the Flammenkuche and the vegetarian was the A La Greek. The Greek was pretty standard (tomatoes, feta, etc.) but topped with a mixed-greens salad, which was a nice addition. The Flammenkuche had bacon, gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, and rosemary. OMG that was yummy. The crust on both was perfect, thin while still soft and just a bit chewy.

The only negative about Dock Street? It's very noisy. The building is an old firehouse, so there's not much to it. High ceilings, lack of "soft" material, so everything echoes. Plus they have music playing. Not a place for intimate conversation. But I'll certainly be back to try other beers and work my way through their incredible pizza menu.

Bad fashion choices 101

There are many bad fashion examples from the '80s. Day-glo colors. Jeans that were so tight and tapered they had zippers at the bottom. Dance wear as outerwear (leg warmers, cut up sweatshirts, etc.). These are bad bad things that I hope to never see again. I'll admit to owning and wearing some of them. I even owned a hypercolor t-shirt (don't judge me). Some of these fashion choices have tried to make a comeback. Some have unfortunately succeeded (please note: leg warmers have a place, and it's not over a pair jeans).

But today, today I saw something that made me want to claw my eyes out. An abominable merger with a bad '80s fashion example to create something even worse. STIRRUP TIGHTS. Yes, that would be a blend of stirrup pants and tights.

At first glance, I thought they were stretch pants. Then I looked closer and realized they were too tight to be stretch pants and had a pattern like the knitted cotton tights I wore as a child. Then I looked down to her feet and saw naked feet in a pair of really cute heels (how depressing, good shoes paired with bad fashion choices, but I digress). And then I saw the stirrup extending down from the bottom of her tight. Her heels were bare. Her toes were bare. But there was that one offending strip of fabric wrapped around her instep and under the arch of her foot. Why, people, why do these things exist? Who thought stirrup tights were a good idea?!?

I think all students need to sit through a class titled: Bad Fashion 101, how to make better choices. We can get Stacy London and Clinton Kelley to teach it.

And I hope I never ever see stirrup tights again.

Connected

Even with an ocean separating us, my mom and I are connected. And I'm not talking about being related, but actually linked subconsciously in some disturbing-freaky-OMG way. Case in point:

You know how I had laryngitis last week? And had nothing but a husky squeak for a voice for several days? Well, I got an email from my mother. She's had laryngitis for the past week. And she sounds like Minnie Mouse when she has it.

I just about peed my pants laughing when I read that email. Just proves that you can separate us by an entire ocean, put is in separate hemispheres, and we'll still be connected. Comforting, yes, but also disturbing and freaky.

Joy of the slow cooker

One of my favorite bloggers, Crazy Aunt Purl, recently rediscovered her crock pot. She wrote an entire post all about it. She experimented with a recipe, and it turned out so well, she asked people to contribute (easy!) recipes in the comments so she could try those too. That post and all the good ideas from the comments prompted me to dust off the slow cooker (I don't have the name brand crock pot) I inherited from my mom when she moved to Australia. [I got most of her appliances because the power in Australia would have fried them. Basically I lucked out, although my sister got the KitchenAid stand mixer. But I got my own for my birthday a few years ago so I'm not coveting hers anymore.]

OMG dusting that thing off was the best thing ever. Most of my winter lunches, in addition to my piece of fruit and container of yogurt, consist of soups because I want something warm. Usually canned because I frequently don't have the time to stand over the stove on the weekends and make it from scratch. Cooking on the stove requires attention. Slow cookers don't. I can throw everything in there, and then walk away and take care of other things and not worry about running back to the kitchen every 10 minutes to stir. I can even run brief errands if needed.

So I've been experimenting. Last week for lunch I had a boneless turkey breast that I had stewed all day on low in green salsa with some extra onions. It was spicy, juicy, and tender all at once. I made a cabbage and carrot slaw with a sugar, jalpeno, cilantro, and vinegar dressing as a side, paired it with some corn tortillas, and had YUMMY lunches all week. And to make it even better, it was really healthy.

This week? BBQ pork chops with onions. Put pork chops, onions and a bunch of BBQ sauce (whatever variety, homemade or bottled) into the slow cooker and stew it on low for about 8 to 10 hours. The pork chops literally fall apart and you have a big pile of BBQ pork to have with bread. I can't wait for lunch!

What toddlers teach us

About a year ago, I went to the Please Touch Museum here in Philly with a friend and her toddler (read about that visit here). I went again today. Seems to be a good February activity, as it's cold and windy out, and the Museum is basically an indoor playground for kids up to age 7.

The friend I drove down to Delaware to visit last weekend came up here this weekend. JM's daughter E is three, and has a ton of energy. When it's too cold to go to an outdoor park, other options must be found. Given that driving up here is a reasonable drive, and a straight shot, they decided it was a good weekend to explore what indoor options Philly has to offer. E was thrilled with the Museum and had a blast. Rarely are children allowed to run around and explore whatever catches their eye, and that's what the Museum offers. She was enamored by the Where the Wild Things Are themed area, although the big wild thing coming out of the wall was a bit scary (he really is a bit frightening looking). The In the Night Kitchen area slide was another big hit. I think we played in most of the areas more than once during our three hour visit.

Today they had a jazz band, and our visit overlapped two of the performances. And despite the fact they sang the same songs both times, E was just as enchanted the second time as she was the first. She loved the butterfly finger puppets that went with the butterfly migration song. And happily spun in circles to a monkey singing a kids version of "Straighten up and fly right." She was completely mesmerized by the music, and was very excited to go home with a free maraca (JM and her husband may not be so thrilled later).

As I watched her play, running from one themed play area to another, I realized that toddlers are probably smarter than many of us. Despite the meltdowns and tantrums, they really know how to live. We tend to keep looking for the "next best thing" in life, while E just enjoys everything, whether it's the first time she sees it or the seventh. She's entirely in the moment. And the tantrums and meltdowns pass quickly, the reasons forgotten before they're even over - there's something else just as exciting over there anyway. And if it's not what you want to do, snacks or a juice box are an acceptable substitute.

And besides, when was the last time you danced and spun in a circle until it made you dizzy? Try it. It's therapeutic.

Quiet communication

Things have been quiet the past few days. Ironically, shortly after my phone line was fixed and it could transmit voice again, my voice disappeared. That's right, laryngitis. For the past two days, I've sounded like a mouse that's a lounge singer at night, husky and squeaky at the same time. It's great. The dog keeps looking at me whenever I try to say something to her with her ears all cocked forward like she's straining to hear me. Sigh.

My mom used to get laryngitis at least once a year. Maybe it was too much yelling at us girls, but I think it was her body's version of a cold. Everyone else got a head cold, Mom got laryngitis. The blogger Fussy shared a scary quote from a movie she watched the other day (I'm paraphrasing): we don't become our parents, we just pick up where they left off. So now that Mom doesn't get laryngitis regularly anymore, does this mean I start to fill in for her? [A scary thought, no?]

Anyway, the nurse at my doctor's office ordered me to rest my voice. Fortunately, in this day and age, it's possible to communicate verbally from a distance without saying a word. I'm not talking about non-verbal communication (body language), but how I can still communicate with the outside world even without a voice. Between text messaging, email, and status updates, I'm not isolated. A little stir crazy maybe, but not isolated.

Besides, how would one call in sick without a voice if it wasn't for email?!

Courtesy

Some companies still practice courtesy when it comes to their customers. Amazingly, Verizon is one of them.

They sent a tech person out to fix my phone line this morning. I knew this was happening, and had confirmed last night that I didn't actually have to be home. I assumed that I'd find out if they were successful or not when I got home tonight and checked for a dial tone. Mind you, this was already better than AT&T who usually made me call multiple times to report the problem and wait at least a week before they'd actually even consider sending someone out. So my expectations were rather low. Still, I reported the problem on Friday, and Verizon send someone at the first available time. No multiple complaints. No arguing about who's responsibility the problem is (AT&T always always said it was my responsibility until proved otherwise...even though usually it was their problem). One call to report the problem to Verizon, one test on the line, and they dispatched a tech person to fix it. Cool. Courtesy from a corporation. What a concept.

But it gets even better.

The tech person called my cell phone when he was done to let me know it was repaired. This was after he knocked on my door to try and tell me in person. There was a broken wire that was interrupting my voice transmission but it didn't affect the DSL transmission. Hence the DSL service but no dial tone (still having issues wrapping my brain around that). But he said that all should be well now, and to check when I get home just to make sure.

They CALLED to let me know the repair was complete.

Wow. Speechless.

Letting me know

Aussie is very good at making her feelings clear. Yes, she's a dog, but she, like all creatures, does have feelings. She is very very good at letting me know what's on her mind.

For example, she's been known to sigh very deeply when I tell her to do something she doesn't want to do. She'll do it, but she's made it clear she's not happy about it. I'll tell her to go lie down and the response will be a deep SIGH, followed by a plodding walk to her dog bed and a flop onto it like some kind of teenage drama queen. That's one of her more subtle demonstrations.

She also harumphs, groans, growls, and grumbles. Sometimes she works her way up to a full bark. Directed at me, of course. All in all, making her feelings quite clear by voicing her opinion.

Then there are those times that instead of just voicing her feelings or opinions, she acts like a sledgehammer and demonstrates them. She used to destroy things when I'd leave her alone as a puppy. Nothing was safe, not even on the dining room table (Aussie figured out how to pull out the chairs and then use them to get to the stuff on the table). She once destroyed a video because I watched a movie instead of playing with her. There were three of them stacked up, but the only one she broke into a gazillion tiny little pieces of plastic all over the rug was the one I watched. She left the unviewed videos alone. [How did she know? You're guess as good as mine.]

This behavior as a puppy was a direct manifestation of separation anxiety. Not unusual for dogs coming from rescue organizations or a shelter. So we crate trained, and she stayed in her kennel when I wasn't home. Much better for my sanity. Especially when she started destroying the mail...but only the bills. She left the junk mail and catalogs alone. And my books...but only the last 4 or 5 chapters. She'd leave the rest so you could read it, but not finish it. Have I told you my dog is smart? Sometimes it scares me...

Anyway, once she got older the crate training ceased to be necessary. The separation anxiety disappeared. We have a routine, and let's face it, she sleeps most of the day anyway. Generally, she's very good. Of course, I don't leave food anywhere near where she can get to it, because I'm not going to tempt her (that would be stupid on my part).

But every now and then, she decides she is unhappy with me. And Aussie lets me know. In her own not so subtle way. Today is a good example. Today, on a weekend, I left her alone for the entire day so I could go visit my good friend JM and her daughter E down in Delaware. There's nothing like a toddler to give you a different perspective on life, and I needed that, about as much as I needed the hang time with a good friend, so thanks to both of them! [Right...back to the point of the post.] It's not a weekday, so I'm not supposed to be gone very long. Errands are short, couple of hours tops. But today I was gone all day, as if I had gone to work. But it's not a workday, and Aussie knows this.

So when I got home, I found that she had drug my work bag into the middle of the floor. As an accusation. I was gone all day, but I didn't take my work bag, so it was unacceptable to her that I left her alone for that long. And she knew she had been bad, as she went running for her kennel to hide as soon as I got through the door. When I got to the kitchen, I also found she had gone through the recycling, and scattered the cans all over the floor. Aussie got bored being alone, so she amused herself by doing something she knows better than to do. Just to drive home her point. Clear, crystal clear. Like a sledgehammer. Wouldn't you agree?

I love my dog, but sometimes she's a real brat.

File under "huh?!"

As you all know from previous posts on the topic, I have a history of problems with my phone line when it rains. In the past, this has meant static on my line. So much static that I end up with no service. The static interrupted not only my land line voice signal, but my DSL signal. Things culminated with the determination that a section of outside cable was in fact bad, and it was replaced the end of November. I haven't had static on my line during inclement weather since.

This time is different. It's pouring rain out. It's been raining all day. Raining so hard that after a quick trip outside the dog was wet enough to look like she had enjoyed a bath.

First, the good news, I don't have static on my line.

Now, the bad news. I have NO dial tone at all. No static. Nothing. Just silence. It's creepy.

BUT, I still have a DSL signal. Mind you, the DSL travels on the same lines as my voice signal, making use of the high frequency portions of the phone line (voice only uses low frequency). Logically one would think that if I have no dial tone, meaning something in the line has been interrupted, I would have no internet signal, since it's all the same phone line. Right? I mean, really, when I had static on my phone line interrupting my voice signal, it interrupted my DSL signal. Therefore it follows that no dial tone would mean no DSL signal, again since it's all the same line.

Um, maybe not. Apparently that logical assumption is wrong.

No dial tone, but I still have a DSL signal. Huh?! I'm filing this one away under illogical and possibly absurd things in my life.

But I think I'll stop short of complaining and just accept the absurdity of it.